Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
